Destination: Three-Pointed Star Attraction
August 1, 2006
Rising above low-lying hills and the otherwise nondescript Stuttgart skyline, the glass- and aluminum-paneled exterior of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum seems to "shimmer and hover," says architect Ben van Berkel. The illusion he describes is heightened by the museum’s juxtaposition to the automaker’s sprawling Untertürkheim manufacturing facility. This is not far from the workshop where, from 1883 through 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach developed the lightweight, high-speed internal combustion engine that, a year later, enabled Karl Benz to build and patent the world’s first automobile.
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That year—1886—is where the museum tour begins. One of three elevators that
cling to the concrete walls of the atrium whisks visitors to the top level,
where they step back in time and into the first of the seven Legend exhibits.
From here, illustrations and artifacts tell the story. Each area presents
landmark Mercedes vehicles and technical innovations in context, with
descriptions of the historic events of that period. You travel forward in time
from the earliest motor vehicles in the first area, then down the stairs into
increasingly contemporary vehicles, stepping into the future with the latest
concept cars. (Click image to enlarge)
Displayed on center stage in the first area are reproductions of both of the original Benz and Daimler automobiles, and a motorboat, various trams and trucks, and even an airship, all powered by early Daimler engines. This exhibit is really an elaborate physical representation of the famous Mercedes-Benz emblem¾the three-pointed star¾because Daimler believed the internal combustion engine would revolutionize transportation on land, on water, and in the air.
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Helices of stairways and concrete pathways within the
Mercedes-Benz Museum guide visitors through the genetic makeup of the world’s
oldest automobile manufacturer. Composed of nine levels of exhibit halls
encircling a wide, 140-foot-tall central atrium, the museum is as much an
architectural marvel as it is an historical showcase. (Click image to enlarge)
Artwork covers the walls, and the exhibits themselves depict 120 years of automotive evolution and how it has affected and been affected by various events and social changes through world history. Wend your way down these sweeping turns, however, and your focus moves from the 160 vehicles on display to the structure of the building.
Built of 110,000 tons of concrete, wired with nearly 400 miles of electrical and data cables, and boasting 1,800 unique glass triangles that trace a spiral path from the ground to the rooftop, the 156-foot-tall structure covers 51,667 square feet in its cloverleaf-shaped footprint. To facilitate lifting vehicles to the various display levels, the ceiling of the center atrium contains hooks that can each carry a load of 10 tons. In case of fire, fans can create a vortex, or tornado, effect to lift smoke upward and out of the building. The entire structure was completed—from pouring the foundation to setting the highest triangular glass pane—in just two and a half years.
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Less captivating for automotive aficionados than the Legend
areas are the five galleries that display some of the diverse commercial
vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz over the years. Transportation admirers
of all types—including bus and tractor enthusiasts, snowplow fans, and truck and
ambulance chasers—should appreciate that a full 25 percent of the museum’s space
is devoted to these various motorized vehicles and machines. (Click image to enlarge)
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